A touch screen is known e.g., from DE 201 02 197 U1. DE 201 02 197 U1 discloses a touch screen for visually representing electronic signals and for inputting signs and symbols by touching the screen for confirmation purposes. It includes a functional plane for visual representation and keystroke input and a higher-level protective plane corresponding thereto that is deformable at certain points. In this context, when certain points of the functional plane are selected by touching-type contact across the protective plane, at least one confirmation signal is generated for the user's sense of touch (haptic stimulus) that is perceptible at the position of the point of contact in the deformed protective plane, and the confirmation signal for the sense of touch (haptic stimulus) is generated by vibration elements eccentrically positioned within and/or underneath the functional plane. In addition, in the touch screen known from DE 201 02 197 U1, the generated vibrations are transmitted from the functional plane to the protective plane as the result of direct contacting of the two planes and/or via the edge regions of the planes by way of rigid or elastic connection elements.
In addition, touch screens are known, e.g., from U.S. Pat. No. 4,885,565 and EP 920 704 B1. Suitable touch screens can be obtained e.g., from 3M™ (see www.3m.com). Further details concerning touch screens may be gathered e.g., from EP 1 560 102 A1.
Furthermore, a touch control with haptic feedback for inputting signals into a computer and for outputting forces to a user of the touch control unit for haptic feedback is known from DE 201 80 024 U1 or the corresponding WO 01/54109 A1, in which the touch control comprises a touch input device having an approximately flat contact surface, which is operated in such a way that it inputs a positional signal into a processor of the computer, based on a position on the touch surface that the user touches, during which the positional signal indicates the position in two dimensions. The touch control according to WO 01/54109 A1 further comprises at least one actuator connected to the touch input device, in which the actuator outputs a force on the touch input device in order to provide a haptic sensation for the user touching the touch surface, wherein the actuator outputs the force based on force information released by the processor directly on the touch input device.
Haptic feedback is further disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,429,846, in WO 03/038800 A1, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,988,902, in WO 99/26230 A1 (incorporated by reference), in WO 97/21160 A1, in DE 200 22 244 U1 and in WO 03/41046 A1. WO 99/26230 A1 and corresponding EP 1 036 390 B1 disclose a method for interfacing a multi-tasking graphical environment implemented on a host computer with a force feedback interface device coupled to said host computer, wherein a plurality of application programs are running in said multi-tasking environment, the method comprising: creating a context associated with each application program running in said multi-tasking graphical environment, said contexts being allocated in the memory of said host computer; receiving force effect commands from said application programs, said force effect commands commanding said force feedback interface device to output a force effect specified by said command; storing said force effect commands into said contexts, wherein each of said contexts is associated with one of said application programs running on said host computer, and wherein each of said force effect commands is stored in a context associated with said application program that sent said force effect command; and sending said force effect commands in said context of an application program to said force feedback device when said application program is active in said multi-tasking environment.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,118,435 discloses a touch panel.